The 33-7 victory over the Wallabies was South Africa’s first in Brisbane since 2013, and only their second over the hosts in the city since the dawn of the professional age almost 30 years ago.
Talented Springbok young flyhalf Sacha-Feinberg Mngomezulu, who earned his first Test start in the encounter along with No 8 Elrigh Louw, said it was a memorable occasion, but despite being one of the younger players in the touring group, he was careful about getting carried away by the result.
“It felt amazing (to get that win) and I’m really happy that the guys could pull it together,” said Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
“There was a lot of talk around the curse of Suncorp, so to come here and have a good training week and execute things well on the day was great. I’m glad we achieved that, but it’s now behind us, and we have to go again next week.”
Feinberg-Mngomezulu was thrilled to be part of the Bok squad for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship and said the senior players around him contributed immensely to his calm demeanour on the field.
“It comes naturally, and to have double Rugby World Cup-winning champions around me helps because they bring a sense of comfort and security. I feel so at home here (in the Bok team) and it allows me to be myself on the field,” he said.
Like most Springbok supporters, who have been immensely impressed with Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s meteoric rise to stardom this season, the player himself hoped that this was only the start of a great journey in the green and gold.
“It’s my crown year, so I definitely believe crown years are special. It’s really been an awesome year,” said the talented young utility back.
“To rub shoulders with my heroes and make the step-up to where they are now my teammates is a dream come true. And hopefully this is just a building block for the future.”
Salmaan Moerat, like Feinberg-Mngomezulu also a former Junior Springbok skipper, was drafted into the match-23 team as a late injury replacement on Saturday. He said while the result was “special”, the team would return to the drawing board on Monday as they look to build on the performance in Perth next week.
Moerat – who became the 66th Bok captain against Portugal last month – earned his eighth Test cap in the clash after RG Snyman (foot) and Ruan Nortje (knee) were ruled out due to niggles picked up at training during the week.
And while Moerat said the team had soaked up the significance of the result, it was clear that their focus shifted almost immediately to next week’s battle at the Optus Stadium.
“It takes a proper team effort to get a result like that and everyone made a contribution during the match,” said Moerat.
“Defensively we were really desperate, and the scoreline showed that. It was a special win for us, but it’s now back to the drawing board because we have another big match coming up in Perth.”
Moerat said that Australia are a well-coached side: “Joe Schmidt has brought a completely new dimension to the squad, so we have to go back and make new plans on Monday because it’s going to be another good spectacle next week.”
The Bok lock was not phased about the fact that he was not initially named in the matchday team, and said he cherished every opportunity he receives to wear the green and gold jersey.
“It was unfortunate injuries to RG and Ruan, so I got the call at the last minute, but I’m very grateful for the opportunity to play – it’s really special to represent the country no matter what (the circumstances are).” said Moerat.
The Springboks made the trip from Brisbane to Perth on Sunday and will begin their on-field preparations for Saturday’s clash on Monday. Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will name his match-23 for the clash on Tuesday.